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Monday, February 1, 2016

Rains of Castamere: Two Teams Battle in Snow

By Talitha Brys
Talitha Brys is a chaser for Time Turners Quidditch.
The Rains of Castamere Cup was originally planned for Jan. 23, 2016 in Cookeville, Tennessee with games between the Southern Storm (SS), Tennessee Tech Quidditch (TTU), inTENNsity, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), and Time Turners Quidditch (TTQ). Due to surprising inclement weather, the tournament was pushed back a day and SS, MTSU, and inTENNsity all had to drop. This resulted in a two-game match set between Tennessee Tech and the Time Turners.

The snow was still very much present in Cookeville on the day of the tournament, covering the field in a six-inch layer. This in no way deterred the two remaining teams from playing. The snow added an additional element to the tournament, creating an obstacle that both teams had to work around. Aside from the weather, the tournament ran smoothly; there were no injuries beyond a few scrapes and bruises.

Photo Credit: Karissa Kirsch

TTU played with a much smaller roster than it has in the past. If this inhibited the team’s playing in any way, it was not noticeable. Despite the fact that there were next to no substitutions available, TTU’s chasers played hard and well from beginning to end. With a contact-heavy offense, quick players, and impressive set-ups by Charlie Jordan and Logan Hartman, TTU’s chasers were almost unstoppable, scoring goal after goal during the first match. Due to the team’s small roster, Bailey Pease and Christy Le were on the pitch for the entirety of both games, and both women played consistently excellent throughout the afternoon. TTU’s beaters were always ready to strike when TTQ had possession of the quaffle, being right where they needed to be to defend the hoops. Between the solid chaser line and the strategic beating game, Tennessee Tech was a force to be reckoned with.
The Time Turners are a new Tennessee team this season, consisting mostly of new players to the sport. They found themselves having to work hard to keep up with a veteran team like Tennessee Tech. TTQ’s offensive chasers struggled to break through Tennessee Tech’s defense, only scoring two goals during the second game. TTQ’s defense also had holes, allowing Tennessee Tech to use the same plays multiple times with successful results. That being said, this Time Turners team has shown a lot of growth since the beginning of the season. Communication between players has definitely improved and the team had good pass completion, even though all the equipment was wet and cold due to the weather. The team’s young, ever-learning offense showed improvement from one match to the next, holding their own during the second game. The youth of the Time Turners in no way negates their legitimacy as a competitive team, with freshmen players like Caleb Heffner and Julia Sklavenitis proving in this tournament that age is but a number.
Like with any competitive play, tensions may have ran a little high between opposing players while on the pitch. It was evident, though, that any animosity was quickly melted away by the snowball fight that followed the end of the Rains of Castamere Cup.
Scores:
Game 1:
Tennessee Tech vs. Time Turners Quidditch: 180*-0
Game 2:
Tennessee Tech vs. Time Turners Quidditch: 110-50*